1st District Court of Appeal

1st District Court of Appeal, Civil Procedure, Family Law

Marriage of Starr — Date-of-Separation Allegation in Amended Petition Was Not a Binding Judicial Admission

automatic / January 22, 2026

First District reverses a trial-court order that bound a wife to the date of separation alleged in her amended dissolution petition, holding that allegation was not a judicial admission where the parties had treated a different date as in dispute throughout the litigation.

1st District Court of Appeal, Administrative Law, Litigation

Berkeley People’s Alliance v. City of Berkeley — Brown Act Violation Adequately Alleged Where Council Moved Disrupted Meetings to Smaller Room Instead of Clearing the Original

automatic / January 15, 2026

First District reverses dismissal of a Brown Act suit, holding that plaintiffs adequately alleged the Berkeley City Council violated Government Code section 54957.9 by recessing disrupted meetings and reconvening them in a smaller room instead of clearing the original room and continuing in session there.

1st District Court of Appeal, Labor & Employment Law, Litigation

Carroll v. City and County of San Francisco — Disability-Pension ‘Formula 2’ Does Not Discriminate Against Late-Hire Employees Under FEHA

automatic / January 14, 2026

First District affirms judgment for the City and County of San Francisco in a FEHA age-discrimination challenge to the City's two-formula disability-retirement scheme, finding the City's pension structure did not violate FEHA.

1st District Court of Appeal, Constitutional Law, Criminal Law

People v. McCowan — Inventory Search of Towed Vehicle Upheld; Bruen Does Not Invalidate California’s Assault-Weapon and Magazine Bans

automatic / January 13, 2026

First District affirms convictions for possessing an assault weapon and a large-capacity magazine, holding the inventory search of the defendant's vehicle was lawful and that California's assault-weapon and magazine bans survive Bruen.

1st District Court of Appeal, Constitutional Law, Criminal Law

In re Thai — Indeterminate-Life Inmates Not Constitutionally Entitled to Same Conduct Credits Toward Youth-Parole Eligibility as Toward Standard Parole

automatic / January 13, 2026

First District denies habeas relief, holding that CDCR may constitutionally permit only educational merit credits — and not other prison conduct credits — to advance an inmate's youth-parole eligibility date under Penal Code section 3051.

1st District Court of Appeal, Criminal Law, Litigation

People v. Cagle — Court Affirms Mentally Disordered Offender Recommitment Despite No Actuarial Risk Tool

automatic / January 8, 2026

First District affirms a one-year extension of a mentally disordered offender's commitment at Coalinga State Hospital, holding the patient forfeited his due-process and equal-protection challenges to the lack of an actuarial risk-assessment tool, and that any instructional error was harmless.

1st District Court of Appeal, Administrative Law, Real Estate Law

Mendocino Railway v. Meyer — Skunk Train Operator Qualifies as a Public Utility With Eminent-Domain Authority

automatic / January 7, 2026

First District reverses a trial-court ruling that the Mendocino Railway (operator of the Skunk Train) was not a public utility, holding that the railroad's federal common-carrier status and demonstrated freight and passenger service make it a public utility entitled to exercise eminent domain.

1st District Court of Appeal, Labor & Employment Law, Litigation

Spilman v. The Salvation Army — Trial Court Used Wrong Test to Decide Whether Rehab Program Participants Were Volunteers or Employees

automatic / January 6, 2026

First District reverses summary judgment for the Salvation Army in a wage suit by adult-rehabilitation 'work therapy' participants, holding that the trial court applied the wrong legal standard for distinguishing a volunteer from an employee under California wage law.

1st District Court of Appeal, Civil Procedure, Environmental Law, Litigation

In re Fuel Industry Climate Cases — California Has Specific Personal Jurisdiction Over Out-of-State Oil Company in Climate-Damages Suit

automatic / January 5, 2026

First District holds California courts may exercise specific personal jurisdiction over Citgo Petroleum in coordinated climate-damages litigation brought by California cities and counties, based on Citgo's longstanding gasoline supply contracts with California retailers.